Excitement about NatAmi

[dammy]

Where is the link stating it may be available by this Xmas?

[dammy]

nice troll

So none?

[dammy]

You already can if you're running OS4 (but you need a Catweasel)....

Ditto for AROS.

[dammy]

Hi,

I am really excited about the Natami, (yawn). How about upgrading the processor to something a small bit newer like a AMD 6 core cpu (1090t, 1055t or the 1075t) , why are we futzin around with something Motorolla gave up on a long time ago. I know why Amiga people aren't happy unless it is out of date junk that they can spend lots of money on upgrading for bragging rights.

Even apple had more common sense than to stick with a dead cpu.

Will someone please explain to me why?

I seem to be a little nieve in this area.

smerf

There is AROS for x86.  Problem with AROS it's stuck in the 3.1 API crypt and there is no chance of seeing SMP with 3.1.  To make AROS SMP, it's going to take a new kernel (no small feat in by itself) and break the API which will break just about all known apps.  Doable but your talking a major man power project that will need full time devs and there isn't any money for that type of expense.  

I would highly doubt had C= survived we would be even talking about 3.1, they had no such loyalty to old stuff as their move AGA proved.

[dammy]

Hmmm...  I don't see the point of adding SMP to AROS until it has actually achieved that real version 1.0.

For AROS68K, I completely and fully agree with you.  3.1 should be a priority to be completed.  

But for AROS x86/ARM, what good is this going to do?  Original concept was for AOS code to do a simple recompile to AROS x86 but that was 15 years ago when AOS apps/games were still relevent.  Fast forward it today, tell me what apps/games that have AOS source code available that is so critical for AROS x86/ARM future that it has to be native and not run in seemless emulation?  I think it was about 2002 or so when Adam put together the current road map.  Lot has changed since then in Amiga land not to mention what technology evolution has taken hold.

If anything, Linuxland is where the code for ports is coming from, not 15-20 year AOS old code that is either lost or will never be released for free.  Again, AROS68K, needs 1.0, but x86/ARM versions need to evolve their APIs to match the modern world of high performance multi core CPUs.

[dammy]

But then you have forks...then you can't complile for all supported platforms.
Gunnar has mentioned putting multiple cpu cores on the fpga so there is hope yet the OS will be tweaked to take advantage of it someday.  Hopefully those changes make it to AROS.  Don't know if it will be AMP or SMP though...

It would have to be AMP, SMP would break 3.1 API.

[dammy]

Side note:

I think Intel has some new tech that will scale performance of cores based on workload.
For instance, if you are running a single-cored game, it will over-clock 1 core to some insane GHz and shut down the other cores...and vice versa.  Sorta a best of both worlds system.

Did some Google searches, surprised to see one of my games, "Warhammer" (or "Wowhammer";-) has multi core support.  Once the consoles go multi core, I think that is when you will see the last of the new games coming out without being designed for multi core.  Unreal Engine 4 is for the day when we have "massively multi-core processor" according to Epic's Mark Rein.

Anyone remember the days Amiga folks use to rag on Window users for not using a multi tasking OS?  My, how times have changed as hardware evolved.  I know, just use Linux and be happy it can do the grunt work in a SMP environment.

[dammy]

I thought both the 360 and PS3 were multi-core ?

Are they?  I'm so confused when the tri cores are PPEs which control SPEs?  Not what I would consider general purpose CPU cores, but I may be out on left field on that issue.  Mark Rein didn't know if the next generation consoles could handle Unreal 4.  

Guess it boils down if NatAmi will ever need a SMP OS or not.  At this stage of the game, it doesn't need one.